[woodcote]

   

Scalextric C4222 Ford Capri MKIII - Spa 24-hours 1981 - Woodman, Buncombe & Clark. RRP £46.99. Available now

We've had to wait a little while, but the second racing livery on the Scalextric Capri has arrived. The Capri was my favourite new Scalextric model of 2020 and the two cars in the 2021 catalogue are great choices. The red Gordon Spice car will be released in a few weeks time, but it's the Esso-sponsored Capri of Vince Woodman that's here first - a replica of the car that he drove with Jonathan Buncombe and Peter Clark to third place at the 1981 Spa 24-hours.

Woodman - one of the most talented and popular saloon car racers of his era - passed away in June. After starting out hillclimbing in the west country, Woodman began circuit racing at Castle Combe in 1965 with a Lotus Cortina, then switched to Broadspeed Escorts. He graduated to the British Saloon Car Championship in 1971, finishing runner-up from the 1300cc class in an Escort-BDA carrying VMW’s blue-and-white livery - Woodman was also a well-known Bristol Ford dealer. Woodman was a BSCC fan-favourite until 1989, winning twelve races. He ran a Chevrolet Camaro in 1974-75, but the three-litre capacity limit prompted a return to Fords and the most successful era of his driving career. His breakthrough victory came in the 1976 British GP support race at Brands Hatch in front of 100,000 spectators.

       

Venturing into the highly-competitive arena of 1970s European touring competition, Woodman entered his Capri in the iconic Spa 24-hours with old west country pal Jonathan Buncombe as co-driver. In 1977 the pair had taken a Gordon Spice Capri Mk2 into third place. Their new Mk3 retired from the race in both 1978 and 1979 - Win Percy joining the team in '79 - but they were back in 1980 with Yorkshireman Peter Clark. The trio finished fifth - eight laps behind the winning Belga-sponsored Capri.

       

Woodman, Buncombe and Clark were back at Spa in 1981. Capris had won the three previous years, but '81 was all about the TWR Mazda RX-7. The Woodman Capri qualified tenth. Heavy rain greeted the start of the 24-hours - and the #33 Capri was one of several cars to lead the race early on. By half way, the Joosen-Andruet Bastos BMW and the Walkinshaw-Dieudonné Mazda pulled ahead of the pack. Behind them, the Spice and Martin brothers' Capris retired - as had the Camaros. The Mazda pushed hard on Sunday morning, but the battle with the BMW was only concluded when the German engine went down to five cylinders. The Mazda pulled away to a famous victory - the first for a Japanese car at Spa - and the BMW fended off the Woodman Capri, for whom a podium place was a sensational result...



It is wonderful that Scalextric have returned to this golden era of saloon car racing. Having chatted to the brand's researcher Simon Owen, I know it's a range dear to his heart and one that will be developed further in the 2022 catalogue and beyond. Looking back to those years, it is inevitable many of the cars will be tributes to sadly-departed and much-loved characters of the sport. With this year's Capris, saloon car fans will fondly remember Vince Woodman and Gordon Spice.

The 1981 Spa 24-hours Capri is available from all your usual Scalextric stockists now.

[Savage GT]

Finally ! 

This has to rate as my longest pre order ever (well, to date at least, I expect the MR Slotcar XJ220's will give it a run for the money  ).

I got the Brut/Faberge livery when stocks looked low in April, and then pre ordered this. At the time is was slated for a May/June release.

My poor Brut Capri has been sat in its box with new tyres,axles,gears awaiting fitment until this arrives.
Doubtless it will need a bit of bracing, as I find most new Scalextric inline's do, to run on my track smoothly. The 2 XJS's are in the que for that work too 

[Savage GT]

I stand corrected and happy to be in this instance :)

Capris and indeed XJS don't require bracing to run well.
On the Capri's I replaced the stock knurled axles with slot.it ones and brass bushings, refit the Scalextric wheels, add some weight on the hatch and some urethane tyres on the rear and some NSR braid on the stock guides.
They drive well 

My XJS problem appears to be a badly fitted stock rear wheel (out of centre on the axles) so I can't upgrade those the same way. 
Obviously starting with an out of centre wheel isn't going to improve by removing it ! I have contacted the scalextric rep on the other forums as the correct axle for the Aussie release XJS is either non existent as a spare, or no-one has one.

Anyhow, as I waited 7 months to get my BRUT car's running mate, a picture is due 

   
Just to wind me up, Scalextric released another livery Capri days after the Spa one   

Interesting to note, there has been a small change in the chassis, the sides are a little higher on the newer version, but doesn't appear to have affected the ability for body float any.